


Undercover

by Ship_Sinking



Series: Undercover timeline [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Bi awakening, Crossdressing, Feelings Realization, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Transphobia, It's just a really small detail, M/M, Mentioned My Unit | Byleth, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Not from any character, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Blue Lions Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Post-War, Sylvix Week 2020 (Fire Emblem), Tags Are Hard, Undercover, Undercover Missions, won't show again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26579473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ship_Sinking/pseuds/Ship_Sinking
Summary: "Felix grimaced again. He was doing that a lot today. And Dorothea finally lost her patience. She grabbed his hands and forced him to stop in front of the mirror. He  looked, startled, at her. The Opera Diva, putting her hands on each side of his face, made him look at his reflection."Look at you Felix, you're so pretty, stop doing this half angry half sad face."Well, he technically stopped, since now he was wide eyed and lips slightly parted, clearly surprised at his own reflection."------Or that one time Felix had to wear a dress for a mission.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Series: Undercover timeline [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938313
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33
Collections: Sylvix Week 2020 Fic Collection





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was a real struggle to create. English is not my first language so if you notice something wrong, please let me know. Enjoy~

Dimitri was sitting in front of his desk, working without a pause. Checking and signing various relatories, petitions, contracts; in resume, a bunch of boring paperwork, when he heard a faint knock on his door.

"Come in, please." The two men had barely entered the room when Dimitri started talking again. "I'm glad you came, I have some important things to discuss with you."

"Hello, Your Majesty. Good to see you too." Sylvain's voice was humorous seeing how the king's mind was so focused on work that he even forgot to greet them.

"Oh, forgive me, I was distracted. Hello Sylvain, Felix. How are you?"

"We're-" Sylvain was interrupted by Felix's angry voice. "I hope you're not exhausting yourself with work again, Boar."

Dimitri gave him a little smile, almost apologetic. "I'm trying to be more careful, but the Kingdom still needs-", and once again, Felix didn't wait for the other person to finish their sentence, his voice sounding angrier this time.

"If you're exhausted to the point of getting sick, the Kingdom will end up without a King, you stupid Boar!"

He was glaring at Dimitri. Sylvain suspected that at any moment Felix could jump at the King's throat, but, used to this kind of scene, he only shook his head. To Felix's credit, he wasn't exactly wrong to be angry. Dimitri was constantly drowning himself in work, trying to help as much as he could to make the Kingdom better. To fix what had to be fixed after the war, and so much more. He barely had time to rest, sometimes even forgetting to eat, and let's not even start with the recurring insomnia.

Dimitri's smile disappeared, now he just looked sad and tired. He lowered his face, looking at the piles of paper on his desk. 

"You're right Felix."

Sylvain thought that now was a good time to intervene. It's not like Dimitri didn't already know all that, but even he, sometimes, needed a little reminder.

"Come on Felix, you know Dimitri knows that. He's trying his best."

"Shut up. Sometimes it doesn't look like he does."

Now Sylvain and Dimitri were both looking at him, and the former seemed a little surprised. Felix felt uncomfortable, already regretting what he said and crossed his arms. Sylvain, with a knowing smile, couldn't resist the urge to tease him.

"Own, it's so nice to see how your relationship with Dimitri is getting better, you're even showing you worry about him now!"

"I said ' _ shut up' _ Sylvain! What important things?" 

The margrave chuckled and shrugged. Dimitri was still looking at them, now with a fond smile, but soon sighed getting serious. Time to go back to work.

"I received an information that there’s a possibility that some people from the former Empire are planning something against the Kingdom. Ferdinand is going to throw a birthday party, and those people are suspected to use this opportunity. I already talked to him and he agreed to help us."

"Oh, we know about the party. He sent an invitation to us. So, what are we supposed to do?"

"I need you both to attend the party and investigate more about this issue."

"Well, things are calm on our territories for now so it wouldn't be a problem for us to go. Besides, I'm sure there'll be a lot of beautiful ladies-"

"We are  _ not _ going for fun Sylvain." Felix, who was just listening until now, interrupted him with annoyance.

"I know, but maybe we can have some fun after we do our jobs. You really need to stop being so serious and find-"

" _ Sylvain. _ " Felix was looking at him with an obvious warning. Sylvain raised his hands in defeat, his only option to go back to the previous conversation. Dimitri was also looking at him with, not really well hidden, disapproval. Oh well.

"Fine." He sighed. "But Your Majesty, you know that me and Felix are known amongst those people, especially after the war. Even with Ferdinand's help they could suspect something."

The King also sighed after hearing that. Now comes the difficult part of this conversation. He could only hope and pray to the Goddess that it wouldn't be so bad. "Yes, I'm well aware of this. That's why we came with this solution. One of you will go undercover."

"Oh, which one of us and how?" 

"Sylvain, you would go as a guest and escort a daughter of a noble from the Alliance. This way, it will be harder for them to suspect you're investigating."

"Daughter?" Felix's furrowed his brows, and after a few seconds realised what that meant. "Dimitri, no." His tone was firm. 

What the hell the sutupid Boar was thinking? He would  _ not _ dress as a woman, especially a woman accompanying  _ Sylvain _ .

Dimitri tensed, even though the reaction was better than he thought. "Felix, you're the only-"

"Wait, Felix will have to dress as a woman? Sorry to interrupt you Dimitri, but  _ Felix _ , with a dress and makeup and hair done? I need to see this!" Sylvain, getting what all that meant was actually excited.

It would be fun to see his friend, that was always so grumpy, having to act all lady-like and he certainly was going to tease Felix about it for a long time. Felix looked at the king with a mix of horror and rage. He only thought about the dress, but hearing Sylvain he noticed that passing as a woman meant the whole package. He would have to  _ act _ as a woman. At least, according to the noble standards.

"Why  _ me _ ?! Ask someone else! I don't know, maybe Ingrid?"

Now was the time Dimitri had to be the most patient and logical he could. He had to prove Felix it was the only option they had without increasing his anger and discomfort. "She is busy with the new plans for Faerghus agriculture and helping her territory."

"Right. What about Mercedes?"

"Helping with the orphans and the Monastery."

"Anne- no… not her. Not for this kind of work." He paused, trying to think of someone else.

"I'm sorry Felix, but I'm afraid you're the only option."

"No, there has to be someone… Ashe?"

"I think Ashe is not exactly a good option." Sylvain suggested, entering the back and forth between his friends.

Not that Ashe wasn't competent and wouldn't have the job done. It's just that the boy was more to the shy side and probably would feel very awkward if they had to, if needed, act more flirty or act like a couple to disperse the attention from them. Felix would feel awkward too, but he was more used to Sylvain, so being with him in a more close way or even hearing his flirting shouldn't be a problem.

"Argh… you're right. But I can't be the only option!"

"Well…"

"That's what it looks like, Fe."

"Why not Sylvain then?" He acted as if not hearing the nickname. Dimitri looked suspiciously at him and then troubled. Sylvain only raised one eyebrow.

"Sylvain is… you are…" The king seemed to not find the right words to say what he wanted. Sylvain smiled.

"I wouldn't mind but, I think what Dimitri tried to explain is, I'm considerably taller than you. Besides, if you let your hair down it already helps a little."

"I can't fucking believe you're making me dress as a woman because of my height and hair!"

The taller was holding his laugh, and Dimitri was worried. Felix started swearing, and his voice was becoming louder. Those were bad signs, and the situation about the party and possible conspiracy against the Kingdom were important, but Sylvain continued talking.

"Calm down Felix, the height difference is just because it helps to convince people and about your hair, well, it's pretty."

Dimitri saw Felix's hand twitch and even thought he wasn't sure about the reason behind it, he decided to intervene. "Felix, you're my advisor and one of the most trustworthy persons in the Kingdom. I could ask for a woman of the army or a knight to do it, but in the end, you are my best option."

Felix sighed, internally admitting defeat. "Fine! I'll do it."

"Own, that was really touching."

"Don't push it Sylvain. And if you do  _ anything _ …"

"What do you mean? You think I'm going to flirt with you?" He feigned being offended.

"Well, you have a pretty bad record. You don't even let plants escape your flirtings. Who knows how your brain will work seeing me with a dress." Felix was smiling, teasing. Now the tables have turned.

"Hey, that's not true! I already said I wasn't flirting with the plants!"

Dimitri chuckled, feeling his shoulders relax. If they were making jokes already that meant that everything was fine. Felix had accepted the request and Sylvain, well, was being Sylvain. He would make sure Felix wasn't too uncomfortable, and in case he got angry with something, try to soothe him.

"Now that this part is resolved, we need to discuss the details."

The three of them started to plan how things would work. Who were the most suspected to be part of the conspiracy, how they should deal with it, and who should know what they were doing. Dorothea was going to attend the party too, so Dimitri informed them that she was in charge of helping Felix with clothes, makeup and hair. 

After a few hours, Felix and Sylvain went each to their own bedroom in the palace to prepare and pack their things for the travel to the Aegir territory. They would leave early the next morning.

  
  


********* 

A few days later, they arrived at Ferdinand's house, the day before the party. Ferdinand himself was at the door to greet them with a smile and all his usual nobility. After the compliments, the three went to a room and while drinking tea and eating some snacks, checked if everything was right for the next day.

Dorothea arrived shortly after, and the conversation continued, now with more trivial topics like how things were on their territories, their lives and about Dorothea work in the Mittelfrank Opera.

While she was talking about the various dresses, makeups and hairstyles, Sylvain couldn't resist to tease Felix, again.

"It's good that she knows a lot of things about this, right, Felix? Can't wait to see what she will do with you."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be very surprised." Her smile was sweet but Felix felt uneasy. What exactly was she planning to do?

"In a good or bad way?" Sylvain asked.

"Excuse me? My techniques are perfect and Felix is handsome. Of course it will surprise you in a  _ good _ way."

Felix swallowed dry, and sent a warning look to Dorothea. She knows his biggest secret and that 'surprise you in a  _ good _ way' sounded way too suspicious to him. Especially how she emphasised the 'good'.

Her response was to only smile at him, like she wanted to say 'trust me'. The hell he would… The woman was clearly planning something and he was getting a little scared, just a little, but it wasn't like he had a choice here. Dorothea and Ferdinand were the only ones that knew their plan, which makes her the only one able to help him with the disguise. 

After that, each one of them left to do something. Ferdinand went back to the final preparations for the party, Sylvain to the stable to see the horses, Dorothea to her bedroom and Felix, to no one's surprise, went to the training grounds. What? He was nervous, he needed something to clear his mind.

The next day, a few hours before the party, Felix and Sylvain were chatting in the garden when Dorothea arrived saying she needed to borrow Felix for them to get ready. The margrave smiled and the duke sighed, his shoulders dropping a little.

They went to Dorothea's room. Two dresses were carefully prepared and were exposed. One navy blue, the other deep red. Felix grimaced looking at them.

"Stop with this face. This is for the mission, right?"

"Yes, but it's still ridiculous."

"No, it's not. Besides, who knows what might happen because of this." There it was, the same tone, smile and eyes that made Felix so nervous yesterday.

"Dorothea, I hope you're not having any ideas with all this dress bullshit." He furrowed his brows and glared at her. She chuckled. She had the audacity to chuckle at him.

"Dorothea I'm serious. He  _ can't  _ know that I… I'm… urgh. You know!" And this time she actually laughed.

"That you what? Love him? For so many years? Oh, Felix…"

"Don't start with the 'you should tell him'. Do you know what he said when we were signed for this?? That he was 'sure there'll be a lot of beautiful ladies'.  _ Ladies _ . Even if I'm with a fucking dress, makeup and pretty hairstyle I'm not a ' _ beautiful lady _ ', I'm a  _ man _ !" There, he said it. Shit. He said everything that was actually bothering him the most, and made him almost desperate to find someone else to replace him.

Dorothea looked at him with wide eyes and soon went to hug him. She knew Felix wasn't really fond of being hugged, but did it anyway. To her surprise, he awkwardly hugged back. But just for seconds. "Okay, stop. I'm fine. Let me go."

She wanted to say something but nothing would help. She knew Sylvain, but not really. It was like he had built a wall around himself that only made people know the noble, and necessary, part of him and, most of the time, shallow things. But she only knew that because, one day, she was kinda like that too, and also saw a glimpse of the real Sylvain during the war. She doesn't really know the Sylvain inside that wall, and Felix also has his own wall. She knows a little about how he is inside himself, but not really knowing the other parts makes her unable to thoroughly help Felix.

"I'm fine, really. So, what do I have to do?" 

Her face probably was showing something, since Felix had to say again that he was fine and no, he couldn't be fine in that situation. Dorothea took a deep breath, smiled and tried to focus on the task ahead of her. 

Her initial plan was to actually make Felix look stuning, with a havier makeup, more towards the femme fatale side. Now she wanted to make it more natural, accentuating Felix's good looks. The man was really handsome and if Sylvain wasn't straight (like she suspected, but never said anything to Felix because she didn't want to give him false hope), he was a fool. Which she was almost sure he was.

"You are going to take a bath. I already did, so I'll wait for you to finish while I do my makeup." And Felix grimaced again.

"Stop that and trust me. It won't be so bad."

"Right." His voice was full of disdain but Dorothea only rolled her eyes.

Felix bathed quickly, and came back using a robe and his underwear. It was kinda weird and uncomfortable to be in front of a woman using only that, but Dorothea seemed to pay no mind to it, continuing to do her makeup and only glancing at him through the mirror for a brief moment, acknowledging he was back.

"I'm almost finished, I just need to do my eyes and lips."

Felix resolved to sit on the bed to wait for her. Good thing he did, her 'almost finished' lasted almost twenty minutes. If he knew it would take that long he would've prolonged his bath more. The smell of the lotions were very nice.

"I’m done, now it's your turn. Come here." She motioned with her hand for him to come at her. He sighed and did.

"Now sit here and just let me do my job." The duke seated on the chair with a resigned face. The diva rolled her eyes again with fond exasperation. "Close your eyes." He did, then she started.

After more thirty minutes his makeup was done. It was actually a weirdly pleasant sensation. He would be lying if he said he didn't almost fall asleep.

"Now I need you to put on your dress, if you need help with it just call me."

Felix got up and went to put on the dress, feeling a little drowsy. Dorothea noticed that he didn't look at the mirror, not even once, not even a little, and felt a tiny bit sad and annoyed. The man could be as stubborn as a cat. Even though she knew the reason, if he only  _ looked _ ... Her work was perfect. He actually ended up looking marvelous, but in a natural way. She went to put on her own dress.

"Dorothea, I can't close this stupid dress and why does it have _this_ _ridiculous_ _opening_?!"

The diva laughed. Of course the dress had a slit on the right side, showing his leg. She was intending to go with 'femme fatale’ look before. Although she could change the makeup, she couldn't change the dress.

"Here, let me help you. And don't worry too much about the slit, your boots will cover most of the skin. They're kinda like the ones you usually wear."

"Kinda?"

"Well, they have heels."

"They what?!" He sounded more worried than angry, and Dorothea laughed again.

"It's fine, they're not high nor thin. Now sit back and let me do your hair."

Felix was suspicious but did as was told. His hair was almost dry by now and curling slightly on the tips. He still refused to face the mirror. Dorothea took another deep breath and started. First she just touched his hair, combing it with her fingers to feel it better. It was surprisingly smooth. Then she delicately brushed it to be sure there were no tangles and finally, she started to do the hairstyle.

A few minutes later she announced it was done, just when he was starting to feel very sleepy again. Felix opened his eyes, only now, noticing he closed them, feeling a little annoyed with himself. Was he that touch starved? But it wasn't like he wanted people to be touchy feely with him. Dammit.

Now the only things that were left were Dorothea's hair and their shoes. He grabbed his, and immediately checked the heels. They indeed weren't that high, maybe 5 cm? And not thin. Good. He could make that work. The thing that actually made him grimace at the boots were the golden stuff decorating it. He sighed, at least it matched with the thing on his waist, then put them on.

When he looked back to Dorothea, she was finishing her hair. It was a simple bun, but elegant, with a few estrategic strands of loose wavy hair. She was gorgeous.

"Everything's fine with the boots?"

"I guess?" He saw her hands in front of him. He took them and tried to stand. No problems with that. Next, he tried to walk. The first 2 steps he wobbled a little, but were getting used to it quickly. After 10 or so steps, he was walking perfectly, and without help. Good.

"Okay, I think we're ready. Time to go to the party."

Felix grimaced again. He was doing that a lot today. And Dorothea finally lost her patience. She grabbed his hands and forced him to stop in front of the mirror. He looked, startled, at her. The Opera Diva, putting her hands on each side of his face, made him look at his reflection.

"Look at you Felix, you're so pretty, stop doing this half angry half sad face." 

Well, he technically stopped, since now he was wide eyed and lips slightly parted, clearly surprised at his own reflection. The makeup was very subtle and accentuating the good things on his face, like the color of his eyes. He was actually a little worried that it wouldn't fit him and make him look like a joke or just look bad but, Goddess, it certainly didn't. The dress, well, it wasn't bad at all. Sure, it was more on the 'feminine' side, but fitted his body really well, and the boots? It actually made the whole look almost, he blushed, sexy and elegant. Dorothea softly smiled at him.

"See? You look amazing. Now stop acting like a scared or defeated cat. Show confidence in front of your audience, even if you're screaming inside. I'm pretty sure you know how to act like this. Oh, and by audience I meant Sylvain." Her smile now was teasing, and Felix's face went back to the usual annoyed glare.

"That's not exactly what I meant but I guess it works. Let's go."

Sylvain was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed. He was waiting outside the room for almost forty minutes. He knows that girls sometimes take longer than expected to get ready and end up getting late but, Goddess, why was it taking so long? Not even one minute after thinking that, he heard the door opening. The redhead uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off the wall.

"Finally, I was getting worried. You guys are late fo-" His words died on his mouth the moment he looked at Felix.

He felt himself swallow dry. Eyes fixed on his friend, he couldn't stop himself from taking in all the details. Felix simply looked  _ stunning _ . 

The first thing Sylvain noticed were the eyes. The way that the soft orangish brown at the edges and the even more soft golden shine at the corner made the color of his eyes brighter. It was a really pretty colour of amber. A very soft blush was used on his cheeks, barely noticeable. Next, curse him, the lips. A deep red colour must have been used, but it was lightly applied at the center and blended out in a nice gradient that made his lips look almost tempting… wait, what? No.  _ Okay _ , moving on. His hair was loose, with soft natural waves at the tips and two braids, one at each side of his head, that connected on his nape, free falling.

The dress. A navy blue dress with high neck, long, slightly puffy, sleeves with slits showing his shoulders. On the waist, a corset with gold embroidery, making a diamond pattern, that reminded, just a little, an armour. And the skirt was flowy and… It had a long slit on the right side. Through it, he could see a black thigh high boot with a gold line on each side, the tips and heels were also gold. 

Now that Sylvain absorbed all the details, he was speechless. Felix wasn't just 'stunning'. He was so much more than that, and he didn't have words to describe it. The worst part? He knew Felix was handsome, of course he did. But that was all he forced himself to see, a handsome friend. And now everything he tried so hard to ignore was thrown at his face without a warning. He felt his heart race, his hands sweating cold and mouth dry. Shit. 

Goddess, have mercy. He couldn't think like that. He resigned himself, years ago, to the fact that this kind of thing was impossible for him. And besides, he wasn't really attracted to men. Right? Right. As Felix had said 'he has a pretty bad record' with women. Sylvain took a deep breath and looked at Dorothea. And she had a sly smile on her face as if saying 'I told you so'. 

Fuck. His face was showing something, probably, and it was just his surprise or else Felix wouldn't be so quiet and she wouldn't be just smiling like that. And well, she  _ did _ surprise him in a good way… but mostly it was in a bad way. Now he had to handle all the chaos in his mind while dealing with everything else today. Luckily for him, he was good at concealing his feelings and putting on a mask of cheerfulness and flirt. So he forced out a smile. 

"Now I know why it took so long, you look gorgeous Thea." He watched carefully her reaction. Her smile died a little. Not good, but he hoped it was because it was him saying it.

"Thank you Sylvain. So, what do you think of Felix?" Felix looked at her with warning. 

"Not bad, you did a good job." 

Now, he was watching Felix's reaction. Felix furrowed his brows, he seemed a little… Sad? Sylvain was confused but sighed and extended his arm for him. That was not the time to over-analyse things, even less to have a sexuality crisis. Felix took it, using more force than necessary, which made Sylvain chuckle.

Dorothea left for the party first, it would be bad for them to be seen together. The two of them waited a few minutes in complete silence then also left for the party.

Time to work.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You really are insatiable!" 
> 
> Shit. He regretted the moment he let the words escape his mouth, remembering the first time he said that. Sylvain felt hurt by that, and he felt bad. He knew that wasn't the case, that he wasn't doing it because he was insatiable. There was another reason, he just didn't know exactly what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SylvixWeek2020 Day 4: Apologies/Making-up
> 
> Hope you like it~

Felix noticed the way Sylvain was looking at him. 

Of course he did, but he couldn't figure out  _ why _ he was looking so intensely, or what he was thinking while doing that, and it made him nervous to the point where he didn't know what to say or what to do. So he just waited, hoping that his face wouldn't reveal anything.

The first one to break the silence was Sylvain, and Felix didn't know if he was disappointed or relieved to see him acting… normal.

When Dorothea asked what he thought about him, Felix's heart actually skipped a beat, but Sylvain only said 'Not bad, you did a good job' and that made him feel angry. Not with the answer per se, but because he hoped for something  _ else _ . Well, Felix couldn't blame Sylvain, he did warn him to not flirt with him.

  
  


*********

  
  


They were at the party for a few hours and talked with a few people, including Ferdinand and Dorothea. They also encountered some of their colleagues, that looked strange to Felix, which only made him scowl, but they soon got what was happening and left them be.

The two didn't notice anything suspicious until now and Felix was with a sour mood and abnormally quiet, avoiding eye contact and only speaking what and when was necessary. He was doing his part of the job and that counted as a good sign to Sylvain, but he was still worried.

At first he thought Felix was moody because of the dress ordeal but, apparently, that wasn't the case. He did check, asking with a joking tone how was Felix feeling, and the answer was a sarcastic 'Fine, thank you, it's actually comfortable.'

They went back to silence after that, only observing the party and guests, at a corner close to the veranda. If it was any other day, Sylvain could easily break the weird atmosfere between them, but his mind was still in chaos. He tried to focus the best he could on the task they were given, and that alone was taking all of his willpower. 

It didn't help that the main reason he was like that was exactly  _ Felix,  _ so it was really hard for him to think of something to say or do. Anytime he let his mind wander off, he got himself thinking of what he felt when he saw Felix leaving Dorothea's room, and that made him think of many other things he shoved far back on his mind, because he didn't want to understand the meaning behind them, it was  _ impossible _ .

And he thought it was going to be easy. Well, to his credit, he wasn't expecting Felix to be acting like this. He tried to act normal, he tried to joke and tease him and it didn't work. The only thing left was… flirt. And maybe make him angry in the process. He put one of his hands on Felix's back and felt him tense for a second. Weird. Everything today was weird. The Margrave suppressed a sigh.

"You're actually really pretty today, Fe." And he waited for the reaction.

First, Felix seemed surprised but soon he furrowed his brows, clearly angry.

"I told you not to flirt with me."

"I wasn't, it was just a compliment."

"Then keep it to your girls. It's weird."

"All right, all right." He raised his hands in surrender and forced a smile, shaking his head.

It was indeed weird. That 'compliment' made Felix's heart tighten. First because it was good to hear it, and second, because he was dressed as a woman and it made him feel bad. Sylvain never said he was pretty when he was dressed as a man… okay, he did. Like that one time he was playing with his hair, but they were still kids! He never said that when they had grown up, after they went to the Monastery and Sylvain's flirtings and love affairs with girls got worse.

Sylvain was starting to feel suffocated, so he decided that he needed another drink, their glasses were empty anyway, and maybe it could help alleviate things. He asked Felix if he wanted another one and upon hearing an angry confirmation, he went to get the drinks.

The Duke watched him leave. He knew he was acting weird but he didn't know exactly why, or maybe he did. He couldn't stop thinking about the things he talked about with Dorothea, couldn't shake this uncomfortable feeling of being dressed as a woman next to Sylvain. The man who was known to date and flirt with lots of girls. The one he knew he could never have because he was also a man. And no. He never thought 'if I was a woman', he just wanted to not feel what he felt. Things would be way easier if he could just be Sylvain's friend. 

He was frustrated, angry and sad with his feelings and the situation he was in, which made him quiet because he didn't know how to act. He knew Sylvain noticed his unusual behavior and, although he was nervous about it, he couldn't do anything.

Felix saw a woman approaching Sylvain seconds after he got the drinks. The Margrave smiled brightly for her, and they started a conversation. She was gorgeous and Felix was starting to get jealous. Great. He kept watching as they kept talking. Sylvain offered the second glass to her, the one supposed to be  _ his _ , and she promptly accepted. It didn't take long for him to notice they were flirting.

The woman was touching him. A lot. It was like she couldn't take his hands off of his arm. Her eyes were shining with desire and her smile was full of suggestive flirting. So it was a lucky day for Sylvain, uh? Felix felt his anger rising. It was a feeling he was comfortable with, it was easier to deal with and so he let it overpower all the other things he was feeling, like the pain on his chest. 

Before he could register what he was doing, the Duke was walking, more like stomping, towards them. Yes, anger was easier to deal with, but sometimes it made him act impulsively. He couldn't care less this time, he had enough today. Sylvain still hadn't noticed he was approaching them. Good. 

When Felix was close enough, he forcefully linked his arm with Sylvain’s, startling him.

"You were taking too long, so I came after you." He was directly looking at Sylvain, but could see from his peripheral vision the woman's eyes widening.

"Y-you're a man?!"

"So what? Get lost!" He furrowed his brows and pulled Sylvain's arm, indicating him to start walking.

Yes, he is a man, but could not be, that wasn't that woman's business. The way she questioned him with disgust mixed with shock, only made Felix more angry. Stupid nobles with stupid standards and criticism.

He forcefully dragged Sylvain until they reached one of the verandas, and then, let his arm free. Back turned to him.

"Why did you do that? It could ruin the disguise." His voice was not accusatory, just confused.

"Why did  _ you _ do that?! I'm the one accompanying you!"

"Because… that's kinda my thing? And it's not like you're my date, you're just accompanying me. Why are you angry with that?"

"You really are insatiable!" 

Shit. He regretted the moment he let the words escape his mouth, remembering the first time he said that. Sylvain felt hurt by that, and he felt bad. He knew that wasn't the case, that he wasn't doing it because he was insatiable. There was another reason, he just didn't know exactly what. Then remembered what Sylvain told him that time, when he went to apologise, 'We're not going to let your constant verbal abuse get in the way of our friendship, are we?' And grimaced. He felt horrible hearing that. 

He turned to look at Sylvain, to see his reaction. He saw surprise, hurt and then anger on his eyes.

"You know that's not it." His voice was low and cold. Fuck, Sylvain was angry.

Felix, although regretting what he said and worried with his friend's tone, was tired. So tired of everything between them, so he didn't stop his anger. Didn't stop his words.

"No I don't! You don't let anyone in, not even me!"

"Of course I do. You're my best friend. It's just that-"

"How am I supposed to know the meaning behind it if you don't tell me?!"

"Why are you acting like this because I flirted with a girl? What does it have to do with our friendship and me letting you in? Besides, you know me Felix..."

"Don't expect me to understand you just because we knew each other since we were kids!"

"Well, same with you! It's not like I understand everything you do and I surely don't understand why you're so angry. It's nothing new to you, so  _ why _ ?"

To any outsider it might look like Felix was throwing a tantrum and Sylvain was calmly trying to understand the reason. The truth was, Felix was almost shouting with anger, but, Sylvain was also angry. Really angry. It's just that his anger was the calm type, and the tone he uses on those occasions are low and extremely cold. It was terrifying Felix right now, and Sylvain kept pressing for an answer to  _ why _ he was acting like that, and he was starting to panic. 

"It's none of your business!"

And then Sylvain also had had enough for today. He snapped, stopping to hold back on what he really wanted to say. Felix wanted to fight? Then they were going to have a real fight.

"Really?? You drag me here, start shouting at my face, call me insatiable, then keep shouting saying that I don't let you in and you can't understand me unless I explain things to you and when I ask  _ why _ you're angry you tell me It's none of my business? What is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with me?! What is wrong is that I fucking love you!" Shit. He said it. 

He really wanted Byleth's power to go back in time right now. He saw Sylvain's cold stare changes to shock, his eyes widening and lips parting. His own eyes were wide but his vision started to blur. No.  _ No _ , he wasn't going to start crying! Not in front of him.

Sylvain made one step towards him and extended his arm, intending to hold him, but Felix was faster and stepped back, turning and running back to the party.

While he was running, he bumped into Dorothea. She widened her eyes when she saw tears falling from his eyes. He kept running and she looked to the direction he came from seeing Sylvain frozen in place and with a troubled face. She could only imagine what just happened and, although worried with Felix, she knew that wasn't a good idea to talk to him right now. So, she went to talk to the other man.

"What happened? I saw Felix running."

"I… He… I'm not sure of what just happened."

"Just calm down, take a deep breath and try to explain."

He did exactly that. Goddess, he hadn't noticed his heart was beating so fast and his breathing was so erratic. After calming down a little, he tried to explain again.

"I think he confessed?"

"You  _ think _ ?"

"Right, okay, he did. Goddess, he did."

"Sylvain.  _ What happened _ ?"

He finally looked at her. She was extremely serious. He swallowed dry and took another deep breath and tried to assort his chaotic mind.

"Felix was wierd the whole day. I tried to make things better but nothing worked, so I left to get another drink for us. A girl started flirting with me and I flirted back, like I would normally do, and Felix showed up super angry and dragged me here. We started fighting. I asked why he was angry and then… he just… he said he loved me, Thea."

The Diva, putting her fingers on her temples, closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "So that's what happened."

She stopped to think what was the best thing to do right now, and decided to go with the most logical and direct thing.

"And you? What do you feel?"

The Margrave froze again. What did he actually feel for Felix?? That was the real question here. He had no idea, he forced himself to go with 'just a really important friend'. He was a Gautier. Felix was a man. Anything beyond friendship was impossible… right? His fate was bound the moment his crest manifested after all, but that did not stop whatever he felt to haunt him, from time to time. And honestly, after today, after what Felix told him, he felt like he needed to vent those feelings. It was really too much for him now.

"I don't know. I think he's the most important person to me, but besides that… I don't know. I never let myself think about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the short version is, I'm the heir of house Gautier, since my Crest manifested, which means whatever I feel doesn't matter, and now that I'm Margrave I just need to have a beneficial marriage and have kids until one of them manifest a Crest to be the next heir." 

"Sylvain… that's…". Her eyes were sad, she didn't know what to say, but Sylvain hadn't finished yet.

"Because of my Crest I have many girls trying to seduce me to enter the nobility and lots of marriage proposals. I guess I mixed everything. If my life was already decided for me, might as well have some fun on the way, right? And that also served as distraction about what I might truly feel for Felix."

"Then, you really hate women?"

"Nah… not all of them. The ones who try to use me? Maybe, but honestly, saying that would be the easy answer. I don't know what I truly feel for them."

Now that she was finally seeing the Sylvain inside his walls, she understood him so well. She wasn't nobility, they were different cases, but the sentiment was the same. She let a long sigh escape her mouth and took his hand on hers.

"I get it. It's like they don't try to know the real you, they just care about what they can get."

"You do know it, uh?"

"Similar things happen all the time at the Opera."

Sylvain had a sad smile on his face, the Diva only gave his hand a little squeeze. Now, she needed to know the most important thing about Sylvain and Felix's situation.

"So, I get your situation with women now but, what about men?"

"Ah… right." Sylvain laughed nervously. "As I said, I never let myself think about it, and me focusing so much on flirting with girls might have something to do with it?"

"It's not a 'only Felix' thing, is it?"

"What? No. I… I don't know. I don't think it is?"

Dorothea actually had to put a hand on her mouth to stop the laugh. It was cute seeing Sylvain so nervous and confused. His brows were furrowed and eyes serious, as if he was trying really hard to know the answer for her question.

"Have you ever thought that a man, besides Felix, was attractive? Or had another kind of thought about a man?" Her question was suggestive but she had a clearly fake innocent smile on her face.

"W-what?! Dorothea, please!" He was blushing. Sylvain was really blushing.

She laughed this time, thinking that that was enough to answer her question. He clearly did, but probably suppressed the thoughts. The poor man.

"That would make you pobably bisexual then."

"Yeah, okay. Enough about me. Felix. He looked pretty bad, I'm worried." He tried to change the subject, too embarrassed and confused to keep talking about that and saw Dorothea's face get serious.

"I think he's not at the party anymore, probably… at the training grounds. But Sylvain, before you go after him, one last thing. You don't intend to sweet talk him like you do with the girls you date, do you?"

"No, I don't. It's Felix, I would never do that with him. I think… I'll try to be honest with him, the best I can at least, considering that I'm still confused about everything. Guess we both need that."

Dorothea smiled for him, her eyes were kind and understanding. Sylvain smiled back, but with uncertainty. He was truly nervous. That would be the first, tecnicaly second, since he let a little out with Dorothea, time he would let all those feelings and thoughts free. 

"Well then, let's go."

"You're… coming too?"

"Yes, I'll let you talk alone but you guys still have work to do, right? Felix will need my help to fix the makeup."

"Oh… He was crying. Of course he was." Sylvain let out a long sigh, shoulders dropping.

Dorothea said nothing, just squeezed his hand one more time before letting go and they started walking towards the training grounds. 

They stopped at the door, hearing the noises of Felix using one of the swords to beat a dummy. He sounded like he was using more force than necessary. Sylvain felt his body tense and looked at Dorothea beside him, she put her hand on his shoulder trying to reassure him, and he took a few deep breaths. He opened the door.

Sylvain was sure that Felix heard him enter, but he showed no signs of stopping his merciless attacks to the poor dummy. He decided to wait and see what the other man was going to do in the next few minutes, taking the opportunity to observe Felix better. It's not like he would have another chance to see his friend training with a dress and hair down.

The skirt of the dress flowed according to his movements, the slit constantly showing his right leg. The braids were loose and the rest of the hair had few strands gluing on his neck and face because of the sweat. His face, with an angry scowl, had a tinge of red on the cheeks accentuated by the blush he was using. The problem was his eyes, they were red and the makeup was blurred, clearly showing the man had cried.

Ignoring Felix's eyes, that made Sylvain feel a pain on his chest, the scene before him was extremely beautiful. He was mesmerized. He never stopped to  _ really _ see the other fighting or training. Yes, the dress had kind of an appeal, but the thing that most impressed him was Felix's movements. He was a beautiful fighter. He was precise, fierce and his concentration, despite the state he was now, was amazing.

Sylvain's heart was beating fast, his mouth dry. He couldn't take his eyes away from the other. The only thing that broke his stupor was the sound of a sword thrown at the floor and Felix's angry and venomous voice.

"What do you want?"

"To… talk?" He heard Felix huffing.

"I don't want to talk to you. Go away."

"Felix, please. It's really important."

The Duke turned to look at him and saw the fear, sadness and confusion in Sylvain's eyes and faltered. He was going to try to force him to leave but ended up sighing. He put one of his hands on his hip.

"Fine. Speak."

"It's about what you told me."

"Cut to the point."

"Right… the truth is, I don't know what I feel for you. I alway forced myself to ignore it."

"You… what?"

Felix was really surprised. He could swear to the Goddess that Sylvain was going to sweet talk him with some kind of 'only seeing him as a friend', and the things he saw in his eyes were just because he didn't want to ruin their friendship and that was fine. He could brush it off easily with false anger and pretend nothing happened but that? He didn't even know what to feel about it.

"You know how things work on House Gautier. I'm the heir since my Crest manifested and my life was planned for me since that day. It doesn't matter what I feel, what I want, I need to play my role… So, even though I kinda noticed something different, I never let myself pay attention to it or try to understand it, and that includes you. Especially you."

Felix was astonished. His heart beating fast, eyes wide and hands slightly trembling. Judging by what he was saying, that meant Sylvain wasn't straight… right? And 'especially you' meant he felt something more than friendship, right? So, it wasn't a foolish thing to get hopes,  _ right _ ? If he was religious he would consider to start praying to the Goddess. He hoped his voice was firm enough.

"What you're trying to say is…?"

"That I don't know how to respond to your confession, and that I'm sorry about the way I acted until now. I really am. It's just that if I focus on dating girls I don't have to think about… Anyway… You're the most important person-"

"Stop. That's enough." 

He started to finally understand why Sylvain acted the way he did, and felt even worse about calling him insatiable, not once, but twice. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath. He wasn't going to cry again but if Sylvain kept talking he probably would and wouldn't be able to say what he needed to say.

The Margrave lowered his head, not knowing what else he could do or say. Seconds later he heard a long sigh and the sound of steps coming towards him. Soon, he saw black boots with golden tips.

"Stop it, it's not a big deal. And I'm also sorry about earlier, I shouldn't get angry at you like that, and what I feel for you is my problem, not yours... Now, let's go."

Sylvain raised his head so fast that Felix was worried about his neck. His face surprised.

"Wait, that's… It is my-"

"Shut up, Sylvain. I said 'let's go', we still have work to do." He started walking and seconds later an exasperated Sylvain followed him.

When they got out, they met Dorothea, who grimaced seeing her perfect job ruined.

"Felix, you're a mess! Come with me, let's fix this chaos you made."

"Fine." He rolled his eyes while she pulled him by his hand. 

Sylvain only chuckled with the scene. His heart was lighter, just a little bit, but it was enough for now, even though he was still shocked with what Felix said. He saw Dorothea looking behind her, with a reassuring smile on her face, before turning a corner with Felix.

He had no idea how things were going to be after today but was sure about one thing. That he and Felix would make it work. They always did. No matter the outcome, they were going to be fine, and stay together.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everytime he thought about living his life the way it was expected of him, after this realisation, he felt a chill run through his body. It was terrifying to a point he felt suffocated. 
> 
> On the sixth day, he made his decision. He was the Margrave now, Dimitri was the King and was doing everything he could to make things better for everyone, Byleth was the Archbishop and Felix was the duke and advisor of the King. Sylvain informed that he was going to visit the Fraldarius territory, prepared everything for his leave and went to the stables to get his horse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 6: Confessions
> 
> Enjoy~

After they went back to the party, it didn't take long for them to notice a strange behavior from a few nobles. They observed, atently, and tried to get as much information as they could on their own.

When the party was over, they talked with Ferdinand, and he said these nobles tried to see if he had some kind of grudge against the Kingdom and he dispersed them, saying that the party wasn't the best place for this kind of conversation, then kept one eye on them. He knew who they were, and made a list with their names for Felix and Sylvain.

After that conversation, both went to their own bedrooms to get a much needed rest. Not that they could sleep well, with heads full of thoughts about what happened this day, but at least a little rest was better than nothing at all. They would travel back the day after tomorrow to explain the things they discovered to Dimitri, and decide the best course of action to handle everything.

  
  


*********

  
  


The issue with the nobles and their conspiracies against the Kingdom were easily dealt with. In the end, thankfully, it didn’t became a bigger problem. As soon as the traitors found out Dimitri knew about it, and that he had full support from Ferdinand and his friends from the former Empire, they gave up. It wasn't like they had a single chance to succeed anyway.

On the days Felix and Sylvain spent in the palace, they didn't have much time to talk with each other besides work, so it wasn't like they noticed that what happened between them at the party had had a bigger impact than they could have imagined.

Only when they went back to their territories and the days started passing by, they began to notice.

  
  


*********

  
  


Felix was with a bad, really bad, temper that was worsening with the passing days. He was more easily angered, his words harsher than usual, and the time spent at the training grounds increased considerably. Some nights he couldn't sleep well, remembering his fight with Sylvain, the fact he confessed and the other’s answer to it. The day after those nights were the worst. The employees at the duke's house avoided him the most they could, only doing and talking what was extremely necessary, afraid to increase his angry mood.

But the worst was Sylvain. With weeks of nights poorly slept, the dark circles around his eyes were getting worse with time. Some days he even lost appetite, and the usually cheerful, flirty man was quiet and almost recluse. His mind went back to a chaotic state after the distraction of handling the conspiracy was over. 

Even though Felix had told him that what he felt for him was his own problem, he couldn't let it go. Especially because, with the fight, he had to admit he was avoiding his feelings as well, avoiding what he was, not only for himself, but to other people. To  _ Felix _ .

After the first two weeks Sylvain had already understood and admitted that he was, indeed, bisexual. Great. That was the easiest part, the difficult one was Felix, and that took him more time to figure out. The ‘feeling’ part wasn't the problem, after the conclusion about his sexuality he had an idea about what it was, the problem was what he wanted and were going to do with it.

Sylvain was forced to admit he loved Felix, in a romantic way, after a specific dream with him a week later. It wasn't anything sexual, but it had so much emotional baggage that he couldn't deny it anymore. 

The dream started with the day he met Felix, then changed to the day they made  _ that _ promise. The one to die together. Changed again to when his brother died and Felix knocked on his door at night and stayed there, in a comforting silence until they went to sleep, sharing the bed. Changed one more time, to the war, the way he was constantly afraid of losing Felix, and the way Felix got angry with him for being reckless protecting him, then said he almost wanted to hug Sylvain. And finally, to the moment he saw Felix with the dress, the moment he confessed and the last thing was him training and the way he was mesmerized by it.

He woke up with his chest heavy, heart beating fast, breathing erratic and vision blurred by tears.

The dream haunted him for exactly 5 days. During this time Sylvain tried to decide what he should do. He loved Felix, Felix loved him. Everytime he thought about living his life the way it was expected of him, after this realisation, he felt a chill run through his body. It was terrifying to a point he felt suffocated. 

On the sixth day, he made his decision. He was the Margrave now, Dimitri was the King and was doing everything he could to make things better for everyone, Byleth was the Archbishop and Felix was the duke and advisor of the King. Sylvain informed that he was going to visit the Fraldarius territory, prepared everything for his leave and went to the stables to get his horse.

  
  


*********

  
  


Felix was surprised when someone knocked on his door and informed him that Sylvain was waiting at the entrance. He promptly got up, ignoring all his work at the desk and went to meet his friend. He was walking faster than necessary and when he got close to the entrance, abruptly stopped and took a deep breath, trying to calm his heart, and then resumed walking but slower this time.

"What are you doing here?"

"Why? Not happy to see me?" He was smiling and joking but the truth was that he was extremely nervous. Felix huffed.

"That's not it. It's just that you came without a previous notice."

"I wanted to make a surprise." 

Felix rolled his eyes and asked if he wanted something. Sylvain suggested tea and snacks, which he agreed to. He asked a maid to prepare the Margrave's bedroom and started walking again.

"Don't you have work to do?" Felix heard his friend ask, on the way to one of the rooms.

"To hell with it. It's not like I was able to concentrate today. And you, don't  _ you _ have work to do?"

"Well, I do, but most part of it is pretty much done already. The rest can wait a little."

At the room, they talked for a few hours like nothing ever happened, like they weren't nervous to see each other and everything was normal. Sylvain suggested for them to stroll a little. There was a lake they used to go, when they were younger, and he wanted to go there. 

The two walked in silence, deep in their thoughts, and when they arrived at the lake, the sun was starting to set. It was a beautiful scenery.

Sylvain was nervous. His heart was beating fast, his mouth dry and he could feel cold sweat on his palms. That was the first time he felt like this with a confession, probably because this time he wouldn't be able to shrug it off and act like it was nothing, if he ruined everything. This time it was truly important. He took three deep breaths and braced himself.

"Fe, I have something important to tell you." His voice sounded normal, it didn't crack or anything. Good. 

He saw Felix turning to look at him and his breath hitched. The sunset light was casting on Felix’s eyes, and the effect it caused was...  _ breathtaking _ . He probably was making a funny face because the other raised an eyebrow with an inquiry look. Right, the confession, focus.

"It's about the party. More specifically, what you told me."

Now Felix's heart was beating fast too. He furrowed his brows and crossed his arms. "What about it? I thought I told you it wasn't a big deal."

Sylvain noticed he was getting defensive, and, usually, a defensive Felix means an angry Felix. He shouldn't take too long to get to where he wanted or things could end badly.

"Yeah, but it  _ is _ a big deal, Fe. I couldn't stop thinking about it and that made me realise a lot of things. One of them is that I don't want to run away from what I am and what I feel anymore."

Felix didn't know how to react. His nervousness was increasing, but for a different reason now. He tightened the arms crossed, feeling through his sleeves his nails starting to dig on his flesh. He averted his eyes, looking at the lake. "And...?"

Syllvain took one step towards Felix, gently putting one hand at each side of his face, startling him a little. It was kinda cute. 

"Look at me, please." Sylvain's voice was soft, almost a whisper and he saw those amber eyes turning back at him. He saw a flicker of fear in them and had to resist the urge to kiss Felix's forehead, right above the creases his furrowed brows were creating.

"When I asked you what was wrong with you that day, you said 'what is wrong is that I fucking love you', but what truly is wrong is the time I lost with fear to understand what I actually feel for you, of what might happen because of it, because of our duties.  _ My  _ duties. But I'm not scared anymore. I love you, I want you, and only you. I'm willing to fight, if needed be, to be with you. So... what do you say?"

Felix was speechless, his eyes wide and Sylvain was nervous but waited patiently watching all the emotions changing in his eyes. Surprise, confusion, frustration, doubt… It took a few minutes to Felix thoroughly register what he just heard and he uncrossed his arms looking down.

"You… Are you sure?"

Sylvain couldn't hold the exasperated laugh. "Yes, Fe. I'm sure. I love you."

"Right… good thing I'm a good fighter then."

This time he laughed out loud. Of all the things Felix could say… but that was so Him that ended up being endearing. "I hope that won't be necessary. We just came out of a war."

"Yeah, let's hope it won't."

"So, that means you and I…"

"What?"

"Are we together now? Like, a couple."

Felix huffed and rolled his eyes, annoyed. "What do you think, Sylvain?"

"Just checking, so I can do this." And he kissed Felix. He felt the other jump a little and held a smile.

The kiss was soft, their lips barely touching on a sweet caress and lasted for seconds. Sylvain wanted to go slow but apparently that wasn't what the other wanted, since as soon as he parted their lips, Felix pulled him back by his shirt with one hand, the other one went to his hair and kissed him hard. 

When Sylvain's surprise faded, he noticed Felix had no idea of what he was doing so he took control, parting his lips, deepening the kiss, and guiding him. At first it was a bit clumsy, but Felix was a fast learner and soon the kiss got heated. Sylvain was holding him by his waist making their bodies touch, his hair was probably a mess considering how Felix was passing his fingers through it, but he couldn't care less, it was good.

They stayed there, kissing and feeling each other for long minutes. The sky was already dark when they decided to lay down at the lakeside. They were side by side, stargazing while illuminated by the full moon. It was calm and relaxing. They were happy, like they probably never felt before and all that mattered right now, was this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand it's finally over. It was a really crazy thing for me, to participate in the week. But I'm happy that I did~
> 
> [My Twitter!](https://twitter.com/ship_sinking_)

**Author's Note:**

> THERE WILL BE A CONTINUATION
> 
> Each chapter is for a specific day of the Sylvixweek2020 and will be posted accordingly. It will be a total of 3 chapters, so don't be mad at me because of how this ended! Hauahuah


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